Foundation garment



Aug. 19, 1952 KAHN 2,607,037

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed June 10, 1950 FIG. I.

a IOO I6 FIG. 2. 2G

l2 3% "0i ll 13c 12c lac v 2?- led F l (5. 5. lea

INVENTOR MACK KAHN ATTORNEY5 Patented Aug. 19, 1952 FQUNDATION GARMENTMack Kahn, Cedarhurst, N. Y.', assignor to Artistic Foundations, Inc-.,New York,

tion of. New York N. Y., a corpora.-

Application June 1.0, 1950, Serial No. 167,325

M r-invention relates to'improvements informilttingfoundationundergarments, and has particular reference to a novel construction fora girdle or the like.

'It is an object of the invention to provide a garment of the typedescribed which is light in weight and yet provides a firm support forthe abdominal body portion of the wearer. Another'object of theinvention is the provision of a garment of the typedescribe'd which isconstructed to conform to the anatomical structure of the wearer,providing a freedom of body movement hitherto unknown in garments ofthis sort.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a garment ofthe type described in which" the body-confining function of the garmentis concentrated chiefly at the central portion of the garmentcorresponding to the hip and stomach region of the wearer, and in whichelasticity and expansion is provided at the top andbottom of the garmentfor improved wearing comfort.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparentin the course of the following specification when taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a girdle made in accordance withthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the girdle shown therein is of the crotchlesstype, and is shown byway 'of'example only, it being understood that thec'onstructlon of the invention can be applied to a parity-girdle orother similar types of foundation undergarments.

The girdle generally comprises a front panel i0, a rear panel 1 I, apair of front side panels l2 and 13, a pair of rear side panels 14 andI5, and a pair of side bottom panels l6 and I1. Front panel and rearpanel II are made of afairly heavy material such as elastic satin whichis stretchable only in a vertical direction as indicated by thedirectional lines in Figs. 1 and 3. Alternatively, the front and rearpanels I!) and H may be made of an entirely non-elastic material whichis not stretchable or yieldable, the front and rear panels servingmerely to provide .fir'm support for the front and rear body portions ofthe wearer. The front side panels I2 and I3, and'the rear side panels Hand I are made of elastic satin or similar stretchable material, but arearranged to stretch in various directions, as will hereinafter bedescribed in detail.

I'he front panel I0 is of general rectangular 5 Claims. (Cl. 2-37) shapehaving substantially planar side edges 10a and 10b which extenddownwardly from the top" edge thereof, terminating in respectiveinwardly-extending arcuate lower side edges I00 and Hid. Front panel l0may be providedwith diagonal stitched pockets'-l8"-extending from thetop edge thereof to the respective side edges llla and Nib; said pockets{8 containing the usu'al'resilient stiffening members or stays.

Rear panel H is preferably wider than front panel it! and issubstantially wider at its lower end than at its top end, in order-toprovide a greater supporting and confining area at the lower portion ofthe garment where it is most needed. Said rear panel H hascontinuousside edges Her and I [b extending from the toped'ge of rear panel I I tothe bottom edge thereof. The rear panel H mayhave-an upper panel portion19 which isstretchable in a horizontal ortransverse direction, saidupper panel portion l9 being stitched along its bottomedge to said-rearpanel II. This upper panel portion l9 maybe included toprovideadditional expanse or elasticity at the waist of the girdle so asto-increase the wearing comfort thereof. The rear panel H may also beprovided with stay pocketsiilwhich are arranged similarly to the pocketsl8 of front panel 10.

Thefront side panels [2 and i3 have respectiveplanar front side edgesl2a and-13a and planar rear side edges 12b and I317. The front sideedges [2a and Ho are respectively secured along their lengths to theside edges Illa and Illb of front panel l0, as by'respective rows ofopen stitching 2i and 22. Optionally, a hookless slide fastener- 23maybe substituted for the upper portion of one ofthe rows of stitching21 or 22-, as shown in Fig. l. The front side panels i2-and I3 haverespective arcuate bottomedges I20 and 13c which extend upwardlyandrearwardly. and are a continuation of the curve of the respectivearcuate lower side edges I00 and 10d of the front panel 10. 1

The rear side panels I4 and 15 have respective rear side edges Ma and[5a, and front side edges Mb and 15b. The rear side edges Ma and tea arerespectively secured along their lengths to the side edges Ha. and [lbof rear panel II', as well as to the respective side edges of the upperpanel portion 19, by respective rows of open stitching 24 and 25.

The rear side edge I 3b of front side panel [3 is secured along-itslength to the front sideedge Mb of rear side panel 14 by a row of openstitching 26. Similarly the rear side edge 12b of front side panel I2 issecured along its length to the front side edge [51; of rear side panelI5, by a row of open stitching 21.

The rear side panels l4 and I5 have respective arcuate bottom edges 14cand l5c which extend downwardly and rearwardly and are a continuation ofthe curve of the respective arcuate bottom edges 13c and 120 of thefront side panels l3andl2. T f V In the assembled position of thegirdle, the lower side edge d of front panel ID, the bottom edge 130 ofthe front side panel 13, and the bottom edge [40 of rear side panel Mform a recessed portion of substantially semi-circular shape whichextends from the bottom of front panel ID to a point adjacent the lowerend of rear panel H, as shown in Fig. 2. In a similar manner, anidentical recessed portion is provided at the other side of the girdleby the respective lower side edge 100 of front panel 10, bottom edge 120of front side panel l2, and bottom edge 150 of rear side panel I5. I

These recessed portions are filled by the side bottom panels I6 and H,which have respective arcuate upper edges in, and Ila which conform inshape to the semicircularedge of the recessed portion, The upper edgella, of side bottom panel I! is joined to the arcuate panel edges Hid,[3c and I40, by a row of cross-stitching 28. Similarly, a row ofcross-stitching 29 joins the upper edge 5a of side bottom panel I6 tothe arcuate panel edges I00, I and I50. The side bottom panels [6 and I!have respective planar rear edges Nb and I'll) which are joined to therespective side edges Nb and Ha of back panel H by the rows of stitchingand 24. The bottom edges of front panel l0, rear panel II, and sidebottom panels l6 and IT, form a smooth and continuous bottom edge of theassembled girdle.

,The girdle may be provided with the usual depending garters 30. Anelastic band 3| may also be sewn around the inner top edge of thegirdle, and an additional elastic band 32 sewn around the inner bottomedge of the girdle, in order to provide elasticity at these portions.

As was previously stated, the front and rear panels I0 and H are elasticor stretchable only in a vertical or longitudinal direction or may bemade of non-elastic material. The front side panels I2 and I3 arestretchable in opposite diagonal directions, as indicated by thedirectional lines in Fig. l. The direction of stretch of said front sidepanels l2 and I3 is in an upward direc tion from front to rear. The rearside panels M and I5 are also stretchable in opposite diagonaldirections, as shown in Fig. 3, the direction of stretch being upwardfrom rear tofront. The side'bottom panels l6 and I! are preferably madeof power-net or a similar material, so that they are stretchable in botha vertical and horizontal direction, for maximum wearing comfort. Saidside bottom panels 16 and i! may, however, be made stretchable only in ahorizontal or transverse direction.

As shown in Fig. 2, the attached front side panel [3 and rear side panelI 4 at one side of the girdle are stretchable in opposite directionsconverging upwardly at their juncture 26. The identical construction isprovided at the other side of the girdle with respect to the front sidepanel I 2 and rear side panel I 5.

When the girdle is worn, the front side panels l2 and i3 stretchupwardly and rearwardly away from the front panel l0, thus pulling thefront panel ll! inward along substantially its entire 4 length, andproviding a firm support for the front body portion of the wearer,particularly at the stomach portion. In a like manner, the rear sidepanels [4 and 15 stretch upwardly and forwardly away from the rear panelll, providing a firm support for the rear body portion of the wearer.

The attached front and rear side panels 13 and J4 and l2 and 15, alsopull inwardly and centrally upward at the sides of the girdle, providingan effective confining force at the hip region of the wearer. Sincethese side panels are stretchable in diagonal directions, however, theypermit freedom of movement of the body as well as comfort when sittingor standing. The side bottom panels 16 and I! which are stretchable in ahorizontal direction, and may also be stretchable in a verticaldirection, provide effective confinement for the upper thigh region ofthe wearer, but have sufficient resiliency to allow free movement of thelegs. At the same time, the degree of stretchof the side bottom panelsI8 and I! provide sufiicient resiliency around the entire bottom end ofthe girdle to afford increased wearing comfort, the compression orinward pull of the girdle being greatest at the central portion thereofwhere it is most needed. The provision of the elastic side bottom panelsI6 and I1 and the upper panel portion I9'of rear panel ll, provides anelasticity and expansion at the top and bottom edges of the girdle toprevent cutting at these regions. I

I thus provide a girdle which is designed to conform to the anatomicalstructure of" the human body, giving a firm and rigid support at thefront and rear of the bodyyand providing an inward force at the sides ofthe bo'dy,while at the same timeallowing full and'freemovement andchange of position of the body.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed herein, it is obvious that numerous additions, changes-andomissions may be made in the invention without departing from the spiritand scope thereof. For instance, the invention is not to, be limited tothe specific shape or dimension of any of the panels, since these may bevaried to conform to the body dimensions of the individual wearer.

What is claimed is:

l. A foundation garment comprising a front panel and a rear panel-whichextend respectively from the top to the bottom of said garment and whichare free from stretch ina transverse direction, respective pairs of sidepanels joining said front and rear panels, each :pair of side panelscomprisin a front side paneland a rear side panel joined toeach-otheralong'one longitudinal side edge,- said front side panelsbeing joined to the respective opposite longitudinal side edges of saidfront panel and being stretchable in a diagonal direction upwardly andaway from said front panel, said rear side panels being joined to therespective opposite longitudinal side edges of said rear panel and beinstretchable in a diagonal direction upwardly and away from said rearpanel, each pair ofside panels extending from the top of said garment toa short distance below the center of said garment, and togetherpresenting a continuous concave bottom edge, and a bottom side paneljoining the lower portions of said front and rear panels on each side ofthe garment, each .bottom side panel having a convex upper edgematchingand secured to the concavebottom, edge of arespective pair of sidepanels, eachcof; said bottomside panels being stretchable in atransverse direction.

2. A foundation garment according to claim 1 in which said bottom sidepanels are stretchable both transversely and longitudinally.

3. A foundation garment comprising a front panel and a rear panel whichextend from the top to the bottom of said garment, are stretchable onlyin a longitudinal direction, and are sized and positioned to coverrespectively the abdomen and lower back region of the wearer, respectivepairs of side panels joining the front and rear panels, each pair ofside panels comprising a front side panel and a rear side panel joinedto each other along one longitudinal side edge, said front side panelsbeing joined to the respective opposite longitudinal side edges of saidfront panel and being stretchable in a diagonal direction upwardly andaway from said front panel, said rear side panels being joined to therespective opposite longitudinal side edges of said rear panel and beingstretchable in a diagonal direction upwardly and away from said rearpanel, each pair of side panels having a top edge coinciding with thetop of the garment and a continuous concave bottom edge spaced above thebottom of the garment to confine the side waist and hip region of thewearer, and a bottom side panel at each side of the garment joining thelower portions of said front and rear panels and having a bottom edgecoinciding with the bottom of the garment and a convex top edge matchingthe concave bottom edge of the respective pair of side panels andsecured thereto, each of said side panels being stretchable in atransverse direction, and covering the outer thigh region of the wearer.

4. A foundation garment according to claim 3 in which said bottom sidepanels are stretchable in both a transverse and longitudinal direction.

5. A foundation garment according to claim 3 in which the lower sideedge of said front panel extends arcuately inward toward the center ofthe front panel to the bottom edge thereof, the concave edge of eachbottom side panel extending along said arcuate lower side edges andbeing secured thereto.

MACK KAHN.

REFERENCES orrEn The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,052,163 Brown Aug. 25, 19362,058,991 Kahn Oct. 27, 1936 2,338,193 McMichael Jan. 4, 1944 2,370,170Jasper Feb. 27, 1945 2,506,826 Ford May 9, 1950 2,523,409 WittenbergSept. 26. 1950

